FULL-BACK Jordan Zemura insisted Gary O’Neil had done a “fantastic job” as interim boss at Cherries and added: “He is always pushing us for more.”

O’Neil is unbeaten in four games at the helm of the Dorset club, following the sacking of Scott Parker back in August.

He is, at the time of writing, favourite to land the role with the bookmakers on a full-time basis.

And speaking to the Daily Echo after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Brentford, Zemura revealed the squad’s “love” for the former Portsmouth midfielder.

Asked about the job done by O’Neil since stepping into the hotseat, Zemura said: “Fantastic job. We love Gaz.

“He has been here for a while now, two seasons. He’s just a great person, great manager, great guy.

“You can see as players, he just gives us the freedom to embrace ourselves on the pitch and not think too much of it.

“He is always giving us opportunities to play freely and not put too much on us. Just reminding us about the quality we have in the room.

“When we do training and stuff like that, he is always pushing us for more.”

Cherries’ next test comes against Leicester City in the Premier League at Vitality Stadium on Saturday (3pm).